Pandemic Sent Chinese Imports Tumbling in February
U.S. importers sourced 5.81 million Chinese smartphones in February, according to Census Bureau data accessed April 5 through the International Trade Commission’s DataWeb tool. It was the lowest monthly volume from China since customs began tracking smartphone imports in 2007, and vivid evidence of the COVID-19 pandemic's upending of the Chinese supply chain after the world’s first outbreak in Hubei province in January.
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February smartphone imports to the U.S. from all countries declined 29% from January, to 10.17 million handsets, and were down 25% from February 2019, DataWeb said. Chinese imports were down 88% from January and 34% from February a year earlier. China was 57% of February smartphone imports to the U.S., 19 percentage points lower than January and eight points below its February 2019 share.
The U.S. imported 3.3 million tablets and laptops from all countries in February, DataWeb said. That was down 44% from January and 37% fewer than in February 2019. Importers sourced 2.8 million tablets and laptops from China, the lowest monthly volume from that country since 2.5 million were shipped here in May 2009.
China shipped 385,000 TVs to the U.S. in February, the fewest in any month since the 286,000 it shipped here in February 2012, DataWeb said. The List 4A Section 301 tariffs that took effect Sept. 1 chased significant sourcing from China in recent months, but COVID-19 sent China’s February share exponentially lower.
China was 14% of February TV imports to the U.S., down a remarkable 39 percentage points from its February 2019 share, DataWeb said. Mexico was the biggest beneficiary of the industry’s recent TV exodus, and its February imports were untouched by the coronavirus pandemic in Wuhan.
Mexico was 71% of February TV imports, compared with 39% in February 2019, DataWeb said. Its 1.9 million TV imports were 2% higher than in January and a striking 79% increase from February 2019, when tariffs and COVID-19 were nowhere in the picture.